Daily Whale Originals

More than 125 organizations have agreed to participate in an Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) study examining methods to prevent discrimination and promote diversity in Illinois, the department announced in a press release on Thursday. IDHR also submitted an interim report to Governor Bruce Rauner on the first phase of the study, which consisted of planning and recruitment.

Joyce Foundation President Ellen Alberding last week spoke at a City Club of Chicago event about her organization’s efforts to fund gun violence research in the absence of federal funding for such studies in order to promote informed policymaking that protects public safety.

U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp called for criminal justice reforms to create trust between community members and law enforcement during a speech on Wednesday

While appearing at a City Club of Chicago event, Zopp said reforms were needed to increase transparency, accountability, cooperation and collaboration in the criminal justice system. She said without such reforms, Chicago could not hope to end the scourge of gun violence plaguing the city.

Fare hikes the Metra Board of Directors approved last year as part of the agency 2016 budget will take effect on Feb. 1.

In a press release on Tuesday, Metra explained the price for all one-way tickets will go up 25 cents, an increase of 2.4 percent to 7.7 percent depending on the zone. Riders purchasing 10-ride tickets will see an increase of $1.75, an increase of 17 cents per trip. The price of monthly passes will increase by $2.50 per month beginning in February.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton on Monday criticized Illinois’ school funding formula, calling education funding “the defining crisis of our time” and urging his fellow lawmakers to support drastic reforms to school budgeting in Illinois.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said his office has been working to implement reforms to lower the Cook County Jail population and improve the mental health services available to Cook County residents while speaking at a City Club of Chicago event on Thursday.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced on Tuesday the creation of the Advancing the Development of Minority Entrepreneurship (A.D.M.E) program, which is designed to improve the economic climate for minority and women-owned businesses in Illinois.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as an official federal holiday 30 years ago, and 2016 also marks a significant anniversary for King’s work with the Chicago Freedom Movement.

At the invitation of the coalition of 44 civil rights groups, King came to Chicago in late 1965 and began working on the Chicago Freedom Movement’s efforts to improve the living conditions of African Americans in the city.

At Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance reforming regulations of the city’s house-sharing industry and imposing new fees on the industry to raise funds for affordable housing.